Well guys, here's one of the reasons why I haven't finished any of my other projects . My first cosplay project inspired by my boyfriends original pyro costume. It tured out fairly well, I'll upload images of my props later after I fix them from the wear and tear from the expo.

---2014 update----

Heyo guys! I've had lots of questions regarding my pyro costume, so I should get off my lazy rumpus and answer a few:

I tried a few things but what ended up working best was empty juice cans (the frozen ones you can get) then i wrapped some thin styrene sheeting around them cut to size (if you're not familiar with styrene its like a sheet of plastic the same thickness as box board from a cereal box.) I used hot glue to keep it in place (use lots or it will unravel) and then spray-painted it. For the yellow stripe rather than painting it I had some strips of vinyl cut for me and stuck it on (can get it from any sign shop or on ebay.)As for the grenade clip on top I actually need to redo them, they fell off. I suggest drilling some sort of hole on top and finding a way of pinning the grenade clip inside it.

I can't remember the name of the place at the moment, it was a store that had all kinds of work safety gear and they're chemical gloves. Neoprene I think? I'll look up the details again and get back to you.

Oh it's just window tinting, the kind of stuff you put on car windows to make them black. I can't remember the exact opacity that mine was but I asked a window tinting shop if they had any off cuts of window tinting that I could use for my mask. Then what you do is you can use a butter knife to bend the little metal prongs around the eye pieces in order to remove the metal rim and the glass. You'll have to make sure the glass is nice and clean before you apply it or you will have dirt obstructing your sight. It wasn't too bad to see out of so long as you don't get it too dark.

You just pop them back in how they were originally I recommend wearing gloves when poping out the lenses originally, just because the edges were a little sharp. There is a rubber rim that holds the glass in, and the metal just reinforces the glass. You bend the prongs back against the mask so it holds tight again. I painted the metal bits on my mask grey to look more like the pyro's 3d model.

I also got it off ebay, not sure if this is the same seller I used but that is the same mask with the front piece removed. I then used plastic styrene sheets (looks like box board but made of plastic) to make the pyro side piece and cover up the snout section.Hope this helps let me know if you need any more info.

Well I started with a cardboard poster tube my boyfriend obtained from blockbuster, any large cardboard tube will work. Then I blew up two balloons for each end of the tube to make the main body of the tank.

From there I used plaster tape (like the stuff used for making arm casts, you can get it at a craft & hobbies store or possibly any place where you can buy medical supplies. Otherwise use paper mache, it will just take longer. The balloons may deflate after a while so you'll want to plaster one side at a time. Once the plaster has hardened it doesn't matter if the balloon pops or deflates, it will just fall off inside the tube.

Once you have the pill/tank shape, I used automotive body filler and spot putty to make it as perfectly smooth as I could get it. Look up some videos on it if you have never used it before, it's the stuff people use to make Halo armor or sometimes Starwars props. Use a respirator and eye protection if you choose to use the body filler, otherwise you can technically use wall plaster or 'poly fill' to smooth it out (it will be more brittle and prone to breaking.)

For the pyro's pressure gauge at the top I used a meat thermometer. I cut off the spike that is normally attached to the back of it and hot glued it to the bottom so it would stand vertically. I then wrapped it in black craft foam to give it more bulk.

As for the rest, I should really take a better picture of my tank to explain it. I might do that sometime this week if I get the opportunity.